The present disclosure relates to a tape cassette that can be freely mounted in and removed from a tape printer and to a tape unit that is housed in the tape cassette.
In known art, a refill type tape cassette is known in which a tape unit, which has a tape wound around a tape holder, can be mounted in and removed from a box-shaped cassette case. In the refill type tape cassette, only the tape unit housed inside the cassette case is replaced when, for example, a remaining amount of the tape is low, or when a tape type is changed etc. By only replacing the tape unit, the cassette case can be re-used.
In the refill type tape cassette, a plurality of hole portions, which penetrate in the up-down direction, are provided on a rear right portion of the cassette case. A plurality of bar-shaped blocking portions, which protrude in the up-down direction, are provided on a rear right portion of the tape unit in accordance with a type of the tape. When the tape unit is housed in the cassette case, the plurality of blocking portions selectively fit into the plurality of hole portions. In a cassette mounting portion of a tape printer, a plurality of micro-switches are provided that are constantly urged in the upward direction. When the tape cassette is inserted into the cassette mounting portion, the downwardly protruding plurality of blocking portions selectively depress the plurality of micro-switches. The tape printer identifies the type of the tape by detecting which of the plurality of micro-switches are depressed and which of the micro-switches are not depressed.